Proel FREE10LT

The mixer is laid out very clearly, making it easy to use, even for a novice user.

HH ELECTRONICS - VRE-8A

MSRP (UK) £99 (US) $TBC

PROS:

Very portable.

Excellent Sound quality.

Feature rich with a versatile MP3 player with USB port, SD slot and Bluetooth connection.

CONS:

A larger speaker may be of preference to some.

SPECS:

Battery Recharging Time:   10-12 hours

Battery Working Time:    3-4 hours

36x56x31 cm

19 kg

Guitar Interactive star rating: 4.5 stars

Bob Thomas and Nick Jennison review Proel's FREE10LT.  A battery powered PA combo sound system with a full set of features and sound quality usually reserved for much more expensive alternatives.

Founded in 1991, Proel is an Italian company that designs, produces and distributes internationally, a range of musical instruments, audio systems, lighting systems and related accessories for the music, event and installation markets. Proel’s new FREE10LT battery-powered all-in-one portable sound system is aimed at answering the needs of potential users who simply need an easy-to-operate, high-quality, portable PA system that can work anywhere – even without mains power.

Housed in a sturdy, moulded, twin-wheeled, roll-along cabinet, the FREE10LT boasts 120W of power from its built-in power amplifier when plugged in and 80W when running on its twin internal rechargeable batteries, which have an approximate working time of 3-4 hours. Incorporating a simple mixer, an handheld wireless microphone system and an integral Bluetooth-equipped media player, the FREE10LT is ideally suited to a wide variety of situations from a street busker who needs easy travel to his or her pitch and a swift getaway when necessary, to teachers, fitness instructors, business people and solo or duo musicians who need a reliable, good-sounding system that will work in a wide range of situations and small venues, some of which may be outdoors with no access to mains power.

With its 1” horn-loaded compression driver and a 10” woofer delivering a frequency response of 55Hz to 18kHz, the FREE10LT is more than capable of delivering a high standard of audio performance from its built-in Bluetooth-equipped SD/USB media player, 4-input channel mixer and handheld wireless microphone system.

The mixer is laid out very clearly, making it easy to use, even for a novice user. Channel 1 has a stereo input on paralleled minijack and RCA phonos and this input can be switched to the media player via a switch that sits just above the channel’s level control. Channels 2 and 3 are identical, each having a balanced XLR/jack combination connector that can be switched between microphone (no phantom power) and line levels, plus a level control. The mixer offers and overall treble and bass equaliser, an echo-based effect level that affects and an overall master volume.

The fourth channel is, of course, the handheld wireless microphone system that is supplied as part of the FREE10LT package which is one of the simplest to use systems that I’ve come across and which has its own level control. Very usefully, the handheld microphone itself can be stored in its own storage slot inside the FREE10LT’s cabinet. A slot is available for a second wireless system, and handheld and lavalier/beltpack options are on offer.

All in all, from its roll-around luggage format to its integral wireless system, the Proel FREE 10LT is a well thought out and highly-featured solution for anyone who wants a highly-portable, easy-to-use, high-quality system that can cover a wide variety of situations from busking to corporate presentations to small solo/duo gigs at quite a reasonable price point for what is on offer.

For more information, please visit:

proel.co.uk